I have been married a long time. As a result I have known my in-laws a long time.
My father-in-law died in 2012 at the age of 94 and my mother-in-law was living alone in her own home from 2012 through to September 2019. Last fall she suffered a fall at the age of 92 and my husband - through pure happenstance- went to visit her that same afternoon and found her lying on the floor not moving. She was rushed to North York General Hospital where it was determined she had broken her hip, her hand and cracked her shin bone.
They performed successful hip replacement surgery - a remarkable feat given her age and state of health - and she was sent to Baycrest to rehabilitate her hip for a couple of months.
Fast forward to early December 2019 when she was due to be released from rehab with limited mobility. We considered a retirement home. We considered her own home with live-in care...but she would have had to do stairs. We considered my sister-in-law's home but again...stairs. We considered our home. We had a front office / hockey trophy room on the main floor that we were able to empty and convert into a bedroom for her. One step up, twenty steps in, and she was there.
We rented a hospital bed. We had a wheelchair. We secured 21 hours a week of personal support worker assistance through our Local Area Health Network. We registered with the Temmy Latner Society who support palliative patients at home. We arranged for a weekly nurse visit. Oxygen was delivered. The doctor is on call 24/7.
My mother-in-law is bedridden and her lucidity comes and goes. Nonetheless, she is happy in our home. Our children are loud and rambunctious so she never feels alone. The personal support workers are some of the nicest people I have ever met and they are kind, sweet and caring to her and they spend time with her every day. I feed her every morning, noon and night and ensure she has everything she needs. She is well taken care of and not lonely.
Reney has been in our home for the past seven months. Given the community supports in place and the quality of the people who are helping us, Homecare has been the best option for us. I've known my mother-in-law more than half my life and I am relieved and grateful she is with us, particularly now in the age of COVID.